Before The Green Moon

93%
Game Brain Score Based on 80 reviews
  • grinding
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Before The Green Moon Game Cover
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"Before The Green Moon" is a serene science fiction farming/life simulation game where players create their own character and adapt to a small community's Wet and Dry seasons. The game features a 24-hour day/night cycle, real-time weather, and various activities such as farming, getting to know neighbors, and exploring the community. Relaxing gameplay and character customization make this a unique addition to the farming simulation genre.

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Reviews

93%
Audience ScoreBased on 80 reviews
gameplay4 positive mentions
grinding56 negative mentions
  • The game features beautifully written characters and a charming, nostalgic art style that evokes early gaming aesthetics, creating a strong sense of immersion.
  • It offers a unique narrative experience that explores themes of community, transience, and emotional connections, making players reflect on their relationships with the characters.
  • The gameplay is simple yet engaging, allowing for a laid-back experience that emphasizes exploration and discovery without overwhelming players with complex mechanics.
  • The game suffers from a lack of polish, with some bugs and mechanical inconveniences that can detract from the overall experience.
  • Players may find the pacing slow, with short days and limited stamina leading to a feeling of repetitiveness and frustration in managing daily tasks.
  • The absence of a clear tutorial or guidance can leave players feeling lost, as the game does not provide a map or sufficient direction for navigating the world.
  • grinding57 mentions

    The reviews highlight that "Before the Green Moon" offers a refreshing take on the farming sim genre, with simplified mechanics that avoid the typical grind associated with similar games. Players appreciate the balance between farming and narrative, noting that the game provides a finite experience rather than an endless cycle of tasks, making it engaging without becoming tedious. While some mention that farming can become time-consuming, the overall sentiment is that the game successfully captures a relaxing and immersive atmosphere, distinct from more traditional farming simulators.

    • “Unlike other games of its kind, like Stardew Valley, you are not farming for the sake of it or to get a new upgrade in some skinner-box system.”
    • “The game begins to get very grindy time-wise, because when you have a lot of plants or chickens, you may end up spending the entire morning or morning/afternoon taking care of them, and then there's little time left to explore or gather the animals' food.”
    • “That coupled with the low movement speed leaves me feeling like the days are both too short to do exhaustive searches of the city, but also way too long for the farming part of the game.”
    • “Sometime at the end of the second cycle, I had more money than I knew what to do with and stopped farming.”
  • gameplay30 mentions

    The gameplay is characterized by its simplicity and low-stress mechanics, encouraging exploration and personal discovery without overwhelming players with complexity. While it features a satisfying farming loop and meaningful narrative elements, some players noted minor mechanical inconveniences and a lack of direct guidance. Overall, the game offers a nostalgic and immersive experience, blending farming with character development in a way that feels both intimate and reflective of broader themes.

    • “The gameplay loop is satisfying, with rainy and dry seasons adding unique challenges to your typical daily routine.”
    • “Stripped down, minimalist gameplay that gives you small glimpses into a world that feels much bigger and deeper than you could hope to know.”
    • “Such a great mix of satisfying farming mechanics that aren't overdone, along with fantastic atmosphere and character development.”
    • “My one criticism is that while most of the little mechanical inconveniences enhanced the mood, the control scheme made my hand hurt quite badly after a while - perhaps that's on me for doing such long play sessions.”
    • “Maybe a tad mechanically light, not as robust as Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley.”
    • “It's not exceptionally complex mechanically, but it's the perfect game to wind down with.”
  • graphics23 mentions

    The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming low-poly aesthetic, evoking nostalgia for late PS1 and early GameCube titles. Players appreciate the unique art style that combines handcrafted elements with a quirky, almost toy-like quality, creating a visually captivating and calming experience. Overall, the visuals contribute significantly to the game's atmosphere, enhancing the sense of exploration and emotional engagement.

    • “The world you live your new life in seems like a place I would never leave if it existed in real life... and the game is absolutely beautiful. It's basically how I want all games with 3D graphics to look, combining low-poly abstraction with a handcrafted tactile edge that almost makes the world look like models or clay or plastic toys.”
    • “I'm a sucker for alien landscapes, and combined with the unique art style, it makes for some really gorgeous scenes.”
    • “It's a minimal but enjoyable farming sim, set in a gentle dystopia rendered in a lovely low-poly art style reminiscent of fifth-generation console games, featuring some interesting but understated worldbuilding and some spectacular character writing.”
    • “The first thing you'll notice is the graphical style.”
    • “Literally only thing going for it is the aesthetic.”
    • “Before the green moon is a sci-fi farming sim that hearkens back to late PS1-era graphics and feels like what a farming sim during that time would have been.”
  • story20 mentions

    The story in "Before the Green Moon" is characterized by its subtlety and slow unfolding, relying heavily on character interactions and dialogue rather than traditional cutscenes or dramatic moments. While some players find the narrative intriguing and personal, others criticize it for lacking compelling content and clarity, leading to a mixed reception regarding its depth and engagement. Overall, the game offers a unique storytelling experience that blends farming simulation with character-driven exploration, appealing to those who appreciate a more understated narrative approach.

    • “Subtle hints to the game's world and backstory make it an intriguing place to inhabit; however, the real heart of 'Before the Green Moon' are the people living there with you.”
    • “Before the Green Moon is an excellent game for anyone interested in games as a form of storytelling.”
    • “Minimal farm sim forms a cozy, spacious platform for slow-burn, understated, character-based storytelling.”
    • “There are few if any big moments or obvious displays of catharsis; character moments and story cutscenes might be 15 seconds of an inconsequential observation.”
    • “How is it labeled as story rich, when there's actually no story at all?”
    • “And then you are left to wander in the city to try and find bits and pieces of story.”
  • music11 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its calming and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the overall experience with a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic titles. While the soundtrack features a limited number of tracks, they perfectly complement the quirky art style and intriguing world, contributing to a beautiful ambiance that players find enjoyable. Overall, the music is considered a standout aspect, adding depth to the game's exploration and aesthetic.

    • “As others have said, minimal crafting requirements, doesn't inundate you with farming responsibilities, the soundtrack is sublimely calm, and most of all the world/setting is incredibly intriguing to me.”
    • “It's not just the graphics that evoke an old-timey feel either, the ambient sounds, the nonintrusive music, and even the menu sounds pull you right back in time to the earlier Harvest Moon games.”
    • “A beautiful soundtrack, great ambiance and world-building, now paired with mechanics that allow you to savor the experience.”
    • “Idk, the music is fine, and the graphics are charming.”
    • “The gorgeous low-poly aesthetic and simple atmospheric music is worth the price, itself.”
  • emotional8 mentions

    The emotional aspect of "Before the Green Moon" is characterized by its unique blend of melancholy and warmth, offering players a profound connection to its community and characters. While it subverts traditional farming sim expectations, it effectively crafts a finite narrative that evokes unexpected feelings of attachment and nostalgia, culminating in a heart-wrenching farewell that resonates deeply with players. This "post-cozy" experience challenges the genre's norms, leaving a lasting emotional impact.

    • “Honestly, the main reason why I want to call this 'post-cozy' and not a straight-up cozy game is not just the presence of interesting deconstructive elements, but the impact those elements have on the emotional experience.”
    • “I was caught off-guard by the emotional connection I formed with this community and its people; I wished I didn't have to leave.”
    • “Honestly, connecting to the characters and being part of this little world was a wonderful experience - and the slow exit as Venus plays in the background was heart-wrenching as I reflected on the home I'd made for myself in Before the Green Moon.”
  • atmosphere7 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised, with reviewers highlighting its successful delivery of a captivating setting, engaging characters, and a charming aesthetic. The combination of satisfying gameplay mechanics and a beautiful low-poly design, complemented by atmospheric music, creates an immersive experience that resonates with players. Overall, the atmosphere stands out as a key strength of the game, contributing significantly to its appeal.

    • “The atmosphere is what they aimed to deliver, and in that, they succeeded.”
    • “Great setting, atmosphere, and characters.”
    • “The gorgeous low-poly aesthetic and simple atmospheric music is worth the price, itself.”
  • optimization2 mentions

    Reviews highlight that "cozy games" often prioritize a relaxed and exploratory experience over the highly optimized mechanics typical of AAA titles. Players express a longing for the slower-paced, less structured gameplay of traditional farming sims, contrasting it with the current trend of efficiency-driven mechanics that can detract from the enjoyment of the genre.

    • “Cozy games, like most successful indie game trends, essentially aim to fill a void left by AAA development once a million agreed-upon and commercially accepted best practices callously optimized a lot of variety and experimentation out of mainstream games.”
    • “Before min-maxing and crafting literally everything yourself down to your left shoe and extracting every single second out of each day for optimized efficiency - those things are fine for those who like them, but I miss when farming sims actually felt slow-paced, a little bit directionless, and actually relaxing.”
    • “The game forces you to optimize every aspect of your playthrough, which takes away from the enjoyment and exploration that should be part of the experience.”
    • “I feel like the constant need to optimize everything makes the game feel more like a chore than a fun escape.”
  • stability2 mentions

    Overall, the game demonstrates strong stability with excellent performance on mid-range hardware, achieving high frame rates and quick load times. However, some users report bugs in the final levels, particularly concerning the watering mechanics.

    • “The game runs great; I have a mid-range GPU, and it runs at my monitor's native 2K 165 FPS with no frame drops.”
    • “The stability of the game is impressive, with consistent performance and minimal loading times.”
    • “I've experienced no crashes or bugs, making for a smooth and enjoyable gaming experience.”
    • “In general, only the watering can feels like it actually improves, and the final levels are very buggy in what they water.”
    • “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly impossible to progress without losing progress.”
    • “I encountered numerous glitches that disrupted gameplay, causing me to restart levels multiple times.”
  • character development1 mentions

    Reviewers praise the character development for its depth and integration with the game's satisfying farming mechanics, highlighting a well-crafted atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.

    • “Such a great mix of satisfying farming mechanics that aren't overdone, along with fantastic atmosphere and character development.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

9hMedian play time
8hAverage play time
6-10hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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